Indian Postal Department plays an important role in Indian socio-economic development. It has simplified the lives of Indian citizens in many ways, be it savings schemes, postal delivery, life insurance or others.
Often we need to go to the post office for postal services, so time is the main factor. If we go at the wrong time the day can be ruined. Because, there is a specific post office timing to operate different services, which we need to know before visit.
Before knowing the post office timing, let us know the basic information about the post office.
There are 1,55,000 post offices across India, the most widely distributed network in the world and forms the backbone of communications.
For more than 150 years, government documents have come through the post office. Apart from this, the Government of India is also discharging MNREGA salary, pension payment and other financial services.
Therefore, before going to the post office to get these services, we must know about its opening, closing and working hours. Moreover, we will also share the post office holidays in 2024 which will be mentioned below.
Indian Post Office Overview
The entire country is divided into 23 postal circles for providing postal services. Except for the Gujarat Circle, Kerala Circle, and Maharashtra Circle, each circle is a co-terminus with a state.
Each of these circles is headed by a Chief Postmaster General. Each circle is divided into regions that contain area units, called divisions.
A Postmaster General heads each region. Circles and areas also have other functional units like circle stamp depot, postal store depot, mail motor service, etc.
Apart from these 23 circles, there is another circle called the Base Circle to cater to the postal communication needs of the Armed Forces. An Additional Director General heads the Base Circle.
India Post Office Timings
In general, Indian Post Office opening hours are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Sunday is a weekly holiday. But, state wise working hours can be changed like 9 am to 5 pm or 10 am to 6 pm.
So the schedule of opening and closing may vary, because it all depends on the geographical location and environment.
The general timings for India Post Office are as follows, but it is not necessary for every state in India.
- Opening Time: 08:00 am
- Closing Time: 04:00 pm
- Lunch Time: 01:00 pm to 02:00 pm
- Working Hours: 08 hours
So, below we are sharing the opening and closing timings, lunch timings, Sundays, holidays and working hours.
This is a standard time frame for operating post office services set by the authority, but the authorities may make changes to the working hours such as opening, closing and lunchtime.
Days | Opening time | Closing time |
---|---|---|
Monday | 8:00 am | 4:00 pm |
Tuesday | 8:00 am | 4:00 pm |
Wednesday | 8:00 am | 4:00 pm |
Thursday | 8:00 am | 4:00 pm |
Friday | 8:00 am | 4:00 pm |
Saturday | 8:00 am | 4:00 pm |
Sunday | Weekly off (holiday) | — |
Note: Some Indian states may have different timings for post office services to operate. It all depends on its geographical location, weather and cultural influence.
Working Hours
In general, the working hours of the post office continue from Monday to Saturday, but they may differ from state to state, as given below is the timing of a post office located in Delhi.
Monday to Saturday in Delhi
Name of Service | Working Hours |
---|---|
Reference & Enquiries | 10:00 am to 5:30 pm |
Sale of Postal Stamps & Postal Stationary | 10:00 am to 5:00 pm |
Regn. of Letters / Ins Letters | 10:00 am to 4:30 pm |
Regn. of Parcels | 10:00 am to 5:00 pm |
Booking of Speed Post Articles | 10:00 am to 3:00 pm |
Money Order Issued | 10:00 am to 4:00 pm |
e-Enable Service / MTNL Bills | 10:00 am to 4:00 pm |
Indian Postal Order Sold / Paid | 10:00 am to 4:00 pm |
PLI Deposit / Premium | 10:00 am to 3:00 pm |
Savings Bank / Cash Certificate Transactions | 14:00 am to 8:00 pm |
Night Counter | 10:00 am to 3:00 pm |
WUMT of eMOs Issued | 10:00 am to 4:00 pm |
Sale of Gold Coin | 10:00 am to 4:00 pm |
Sale of Franking Stamp | 10:00 am to 16:00 pm |
Post Office Banking Services
In recent years, various banking services have been added to the post offices for customers. Such as…
- Mails & Stamps
- Banking & Remittance
- Insurance
- NPS
- Business & E-commerce
- Retail Services
- Holy Blessings
- Tools & Support
Note: Sunday is the weekly off in all Indian Post Offices.
Post office Timings in other States
Similarly, the working hours will differ from state to state in India, as we mentioned earlier.
Service | Business hours |
---|---|
Booking of eMO | 9:00 am to 2:00 pm |
Savings Bank / Certificate | 8:00 am to 7:30 pm |
Booking of Speed Post Articles | 9:00 am to 2:00 pm |
Booking and Payment of IMO / IMTS | 9:00 am to 2:00 pm |
Acceptance of e-Payment Transactions | 9:00 am to 4:00 pm |
WUIMT Transactions | 9:00 am to 2:00 pm |
Payment of Indian Postal Order (sold/paid) | 9:00 am to 2:00 pm |
Acceptance of Telephone Bills | 9:00 am to 2:00 pm |
Acceptance of PLI / RPLI | 9:00 am to 4:00 pm |
Regn. of Parcels | 9:00 am to 6:00 pm |
Regn. of Letters / Ins Letters | 8:00 am to 6:00 pm |
Sale of Franking Stamp | 8:00 am to 7:00 pm |
Sale of Postal Stamps & Postal Stationary | 9:00 am to 5:00 pm |
Reference & Enquiries | 9:00 am to 4:00 pm |
Parcel Packing | 8:00 am to 4:00 pm |
Post Shopee | 8:00 am to 16:00 pm |
Post Office Timings on Saturday
Saturday office timings are the same as other days of the week except for Sunday. Since Sunday is a holiday in all government and private sector offices. Therefore, the post office timings on Saturdays are from 8 am to 4 pm, as are the timings from Monday to Friday.
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Post Office Opening and Closing Time
The opening hours of all post offices are 8:00 am. It runs from Monday to Saturday up to 4:00 pm. But, if there is any government holiday, it will be closed on that day.
Usually, the post office closing time is 4:00 pm, but due to other official work, it is closed at 4:30 pm.
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Post Office Lunch Time
Indian Post Office lunch timings vary from circle to circle across India. There is no fixed time for this, but in most circles, it is found that lunchtime is from 1:00 am to 2:00 pm. So, avoid this time when you go to the post office for any postal work or other banking services.
Post Office Holidays 2024
The Post offices will be closed on the following days all over India. The list of holidays is given below; check once:
List of Holiday | Date 2024 | Day |
---|---|---|
Republic Day | 26 January 2024 | Friday |
Maha Shivratri | 8 March 2024 | Friday |
Holi | 25 March 2024 | Monday |
Good Friday | 29 March 2024 | Friday |
Ram Navami | 17 April 2024 | Wednesday |
Mahavir Jayanti | 21 April 2024 | Sunday |
Id-ul-Fitr | 10 April 2024 | Wednesday |
Buddha Purnima | 23 May 2024 | Thursday |
Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) | 17 June 2024 | Monday |
Muharram | 17 July 2024 | Wednesday |
Independence Day | 15 August 2024 | Thursday |
Janmashtami | 26 August 2024 | Monday |
Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday | 02 October 2024 | Wednesday |
Dussehra | 12 October 2024 | Saturday |
Milad-un-Nabi or Id-e-Milad (Birthday of Prophet Mohammad) | 16 September 2024 | Monday |
Diwali (Deepavali) | 31 October 2024 | Thursday |
Guru Nanak’s Birthday | 15 November 2024 | Friday |
Christmas Day | 25 December 2024 | Wednesday |
Note: The above list shows the national holidays for the Post Office but may vary from region to region. So, always check the list of holidays declared by the state and central government.
FAQs
A: The Post office timing is 8 am to 4 pm from Monday to Saturday. But, it may change from one state to another in India according to geographical and environmental conditions.
A: The expected post timing is 2-3 business days.
A: India Post works on Saturdays as it is a working day.
A: No, the post office is not closed on the second Saturday. It will be closed on Sundays and government holidays.
A: Sunday is a weekly off or you can say a holiday. Therefore, Sunday will be a holiday in all Indian Post Offices.